(06/24/16) FRANKLINTON, La. – The arrival of summer in Louisiana marks the return of long, hot days – and in Washington Parish, that means it’s time for watermelons.

Washington Parish watermelons are well known throughout Louisiana for their consistent sweetness and good quality.

“Our acidic soil, sandy loam, lends to having a good, sweet watermelon when it ripens,” said Henry Harrison, an LSU AgCenter agent in Washington Parish.

Washington parish produces about 1,000 acres. Many growers sell their watermelons at roadside stands and local markets, making them important to the area’s economy.

“You’re probably talking about $4 million to $5 million, and if you add the value added to it through purchases and buyers coming along, you can hardly put a true number on it,” Harrison said.

For many of the parish’s 125 growers, like Zander Thomas Farms, their extra-sweet watermelons – and the hard work it takes to grow them – are a source of pride.

Tisha Thomas, along with her husband and his brothers, got into the business of growing and selling watermelons as a hobby at first. This year, the family planted about 60,000 watermelon plants at their farm in Thomas, a community north of Franklinton.

They recently started picking the first melons of the season – a process done entirely by hand. Members of the Thomas family and workers hired from the surrounding community take turns working in the fields under the hot sun.

“During the summer, everybody is involved in this,” Thomas said.

Weather conditions have been ideal this season, she said. Timely rains fell in the spring, and the weather has stayed mostly dry as the watermelons ripen.

“If you have a dry season when they’re ripening, your sugars are going to be much higher than what it would be if you have a wet, wet season,” Harrison said.

Growers in Washington Parish strive for the perfect amount of sweetness – a quality that sets their watermelons apart from the rest.

“Whenever you taste them and you get used to them, you will know later on (if) you don’t have a Washington Parish watermelon,” Thomas said.

The designation as a “Washington Parish watermelon” is something that growers in the parish take seriously. Red stickers from a local grower association are placed on each watermelon to indicate it was grown in Washington Parish.

At the Thomas farm, buyers receive a certificate showing their purchases are genuine Washington Parish watermelons.

The Thomas farm is also working to become certified in Good Agricultural Practices, which are practices that growers can voluntarily implement to reduce food safety risks. Certification is not mandatory, but many retailers only buy produce from certified growers.

A key part of GAPs is traceability.

“You’ll know that it comes from Zander Thomas Farms watermelon field No. 1. And whenever it goes out to the store, it’ll have a label where they’re able to trace it back to us,” Thomas said.

She’s hopeful that GAPs certification will help her family find a market for every watermelon they grow – and ultimately, share their sweetness with people far beyond Washington Parish.

Tisha Thomas explains the certificates that buyers receive from her family’s farm to show their purchases are genuine Washington Parish watermelons. Red stickers are also placed on each watermelon to show it’s from Washington Parish. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

LSU AgCenter agent Henry Harrison, right, offers a watermelon sample to a customer visiting the Zander Thomas Farms on June 17. The farm, located north of Franklinton, is working to becoming certified in Good Agricultural Practices. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Workers at Zander Thomas Farms in Thomas, a community north of Franklinton, Louisiana, harvest watermelons on June 17. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Workers at Zander Thomas Farms in Thomas, a community north of Franklinton, Louisiana, harvest watermelons on June 17. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter